That Hamilton Woman

Director: Alexander Korda
Year Released: 1941
Rating: 2.0

A woman with a 'past' (Vivien Leigh) - and an unhappy marriage to the unloving Sir William Hamilton - has an affair with naval genius Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier), who also happens to be in an unhappy marriage. Much social shunning ensues, as busy-bodies fail to mind their own business and Nelson's wife appears to sever the ties between the lovebirds. Exists mostly as a historical artifact and less as a pungent romance - Leigh and Olivier are too busy trying to out-act each other instead of conveying any sense of chemistry (Olivier being aided by a bad eye and missing arm) - as it was made primarily as World War II propaganda starring two real-life lovers and may (or may not) have had some scripting assistance from a certain Sir Winston Churchill, who apparently watched it dozens of times just to hear Larry deliver the speeches he penned. If I were to watch a Leigh picture multiple times, it would be Waterloo Bridge; if I wanted British propaganda and naval battles, I'd rather go with Sir Noël Coward's In Which We Serve.